Each fishing outing is unique because of changing fish appetites and varying levels of aggression, which can be attributed to altered environmental conditions such as barometric pressure, light, wind, moon phase, seasons and other variables. The appetite and aggression level also are affected by localized influences, such as water clarity, water temperature, salinity, acidity, depth, natural prey availability, population density and other variables. In addition, each fish population has its own affinity for various bait presentations.
All these factors will change over a year, many within thirty minutes. Predicting the response of fish to these changes is difficult. Most fishermen use a trial-and-error process to determine which lure and/or bait, as well as its presentation, will be effective for a particular outing. Because fishermen endeavor to catch fish and often to release them again, their ability to stay in sync with the preferences of their prey will dictate the degree of their success.
With conventional lures (e.g., hooks, jigs, etc.), it can be rather challenging to quickly change lures or to replace a lure lost due to a broken line. This challenge is exacerbated under some conditions, such as being in a moving boat, cold temperatures, falling precipitation (e.g. rain), poor visibility, etc.